French Montana isn’t trying to fix the criminal justice system by himself, but says he still wants to do his part … which is why he bailed a woman out of jail who couldn’t afford it.

We got French Monday in NYC shortly after he posted bail for a woman in the Bronx who couldn’t put up the money. He tells us poverty isn’t a crime, and just because you can’t afford to get out of a cage doesn’t mean you should be in one.

He teamed up with Mass Bail Out, an org focused on this cause, but French told us this is very personal for him … revealing how the cash bail system has affected some of his close friends.

French said he wanted to pay it forward considering he has best friends in jail when he spoke to TMZ.

Is it too early to discuss French Montana’s boots in the pic below or nah?